Said knockout gave me a funny look. "You like coconut shrimp?"
"I'm not picky in the least, and when you said it, it hit me that it sounded wonderful."
The server walked away, and I leaned forward. "Tell me something about yourself, please."
The question seemed to please her if the twinkle in her eye was any indication. "I'm an artist. I paint and sculpt, mainly abstracts and sometimes landscapes. I also enjoy multimedia, digital art, and the like."
"That's fascinating. Do you show your work?"
She nodded eagerly, looking proud of her accomplishments. "Yes! I just had a show two weeks ago at a local gallery."
"Was it successful?"
A blush bloomed across her cheeks, and she smiled shyly. "It was. I sold a few pieces, which was exciting. Most of the time I'm selling digital art more than anything."
"Oh, what sort of digital art?"
"A lot of ad stuff, but I've done a couple of book covers for romance authors, and that was fun."
The conversation shifted from art to books, and we discussed our favorite authors and stories. She talked about paranormal romance being her go-to genre, and I couldn't help but be intrigued. I'd just finished a paranormal series and was looking for something new to read. Having someone to talk to about books was something I had always struggled with, and I was rapt with attention.
"Do you have any recommendations?"
She grinned, obviously pleased with the question. Although perhaps not nearly as pleased as I was to have something new to read. "I do!" We discussed books until our shrimp came.
"Tell me something else about you," I said after a bite of shrimp, which I barely tasted. I was so focused on her the food didn’t mean the slightest to me.
"Hmm." She finished her shrimp. "I love to build Lego sets to relax. Puzzles, too, but more often Legos."
Interesting. It was nice she'd shared something different and original. I decided to tell her about my favorite pastime of playing board games.
“Would you like an after-dinner drink?” asked the server.
“No, thanks.” She smiled, tempering the refusal.
“A brandy for me,” I answered. When it arrived, I sniffed it appreciatively and took a sip.
Where were we? Yes, board games. I opened my mouth to ask if she'd ever played Trouble when someone tapped me on the shoulder. "Yes?" I said as I turned and looked up. And up.
Uh-oh. Never a good thing when someone felt they were entitled to join what was clearly a private conversation.
An extremely tall man in a well-tailored suit pulled a chair away from a nearby table without asking, to the consternation of the couple sitting there, and scooted himself up to ours without the slightest bit of apology in his features.
"I'm sorry," Cathy said, jutting out her chin with disapproval plain on her face. "We're having a private conversation."
"I'm afraid you can consider it interrupted," he said. The man's voice came out in a way that made it clear he was threatening us. The urge to knock his head through the wall and into the kitchen was strong, but I glanced at Cathy instead.
Damn if it didn't look like she had the same thoughts. What a dazzler she was. If she tried to push him out of here or did anything that I might have, I very well might drop to a knee and propose here and now.
"What do you want?" He had to be from the alchemist’s guild. Nobody else would interrupt me like this.
"You need to return the philosopher's stone, you heathen trickster." The man's dark brown eyes were nearly black. Trying to be frightening. Piker. I resisted the temptation to shift a little and show him how scary I could look. Foxes weren’t the most vicious of all creatures, but we certainly had fangs. I had an idea it wouldn’t impress Cathy, so I restrained myself.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, trying my second-best innocent look. I was saving the best for my date if I screwed this up. She was more important anyway.
Cathy looked at me suspiciously.
I held up both hands in surrender. "I'm telling you, I don't have it."
